Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies at Lipscomb University

That $27,000 starting salary puts Lipscomb's writing program right at Tennessee's median for this field, though notably below the national average of $28,418. The debt load of $19,500 is actually lower than typical for writing programs nationwide—you're looking at the 84th percentile, meaning most writing graduates elsewhere carry more debt. With a 0.72 debt-to-earnings ratio, your child would owe about nine months of their first-year salary, which is manageable compared to many liberal arts degrees.

The challenge here isn't excessive debt but modest earning potential. A $27,000 salary in Nashville requires careful budgeting, even if the relatively moderate debt helps. Writing and rhetoric degrees typically open doors to entry-level positions in communications, marketing, or education—fields where earnings often grow with experience, but the starting point is genuinely low. Among Tennessee's 10 programs in this field, Lipscomb lands in the 60th percentile, so it's middle-of-the-pack regionally.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could swing significantly year to year. If your child is passionate about writing and communications, this program won't bury them in debt. But they should enter with realistic expectations about entry-level salaries and potentially plan for graduate school or career pivots that leverage the degree as a foundation rather than an endpoint.